


Picking Up the Pieces

by TheSpaceHairAndTheSpaceIdiot



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-22
Updated: 2013-10-14
Packaged: 2017-11-22 01:40:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/604410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSpaceHairAndTheSpaceIdiot/pseuds/TheSpaceHairAndTheSpaceIdiot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The morning after losing Amy and Rory, the Doctor wakes to find himself alone on the TARDIS and goes off in search of River. When he finds her, he's confronted with a vulnerable side to his wife she's never allowed him to see before. Together, they try to overcome the grief they feel and attempt to move on in their lives together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Best Comfort of All

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! This is my first fic here on AO3, my first fic in the Doctor Who universe, and in fact, my first fic in a very long while. I'm transferring this over from FFN, where it's gotten a pretty good response. However, constructive criticism is always welcome! Anyway, here's the fic and I hope you all enjoy!

It wasn't often that the Doctor woke up confused. He liked to think that it was partly to do with the fact that he slept less than humans and, thus, simply had fewer occasions in which to wake up at all and partly because when he did, it was due to a conscious decision of his to sleep. It was not usually a simple matter of falling asleep, still dressed, due to exhaustion and emotional fatigue, and so he was usually expecting to find himself awake when the time came.

But while those reasons may well be considering factors, this morning he could put most of his confusion down to the fact that he was alone in bed. He was fairly certain, and growing more so by the second, that when he'd fallen asleep the night before, his wife had already been sleeping beside him. From the instant he'd woken up, he'd expected to feel the warm weight of River next to him, but when he stretched his arm out, all he felt was empty air and cold sheets.

Memories of yesterday, of the Angels and New York and Amy and Rory quickly shot into his brain, and the knowledge that River was not lying next to him sent a bullet of panic into his hearts. He shot up, searching frantically around the room, looking for any sign of her. Not seeing any, he jumped to his feet and raced to the door.

She had to still be on the TARDIS. She couldn't have left, not after yesterday. She wouldn't have left him alone so soon after losing Amy and Rory. He knew the time would come; it always did and always too soon, but not _this_ soon, not today.

So he raced through the TARDIS, checking all the rooms she would have gone to after waking to find him uncharacteristically still asleep. He checked the kitchen, the library, the swimming pool, the two bathrooms she favored, her private bedroom, office, and even the training room the TARDIS had outfitted her with, finding no sign of River; no sign that she was still on board at all.

He walked dejectedly to the console room, knowing it was his last chance of finding her on board. He entered to find only the persistent hum of the TARDIS and, although at this point in his search he wasn't surprised to find it empty, both of his hearts still plummeted and shattered just a bit more.

Walking over to the console, he readied himself to program her to take him somewhere, anywhere, to distract him from the pain and loneliness plaguing him. But what he saw on the scanner made him stop, gape, and then rush to the door.

The TARDIS was not floating in the vortex, as he had left her last night. Instead, he swung open the doors to reveal none other than Amy and Rory's sitting room. Ignoring the searing pain that came with the reminder of his loyal companions, he rushed out of the TARDIS and into the house, not caring that he had fallen asleep in his clothes the night before and now only wore his trousers and shirtsleeves.

"River?" he called out. She had to be in there somewhere. He certainly hadn't landed the TARDIS here. But he was left only with silence.

Not giving up, he ventured further into the house. Finding no sign of her on the first floor, he climbed carefully to the second. As soon as he reached the landing, he knew he'd found his prize. He allowed himself a brief moment of celebration before he realized the sound he had heard was that of sobbing.

Spirits sinking, he steeled himself for an emotional moment, which he'd always been rather rubbish at, and set to following his wife's tears. They brought him to Amy and Rory's bedroom, where the door was ajar. Approaching cautiously, he peered quietly and carefully inside.

River was lying on the bed, on top of the comforter and sure enough, she was crying. The Doctor had seen River cry before of course; he'd known her for so very long now, but he had never seen her sobbing or wracked with tears. She was always so composed, even when crying. Never before had he seen her so open with her grief before, not from his perspective at least and judging from her attitude last night in Manhattan, not from hers either.

Another surge of pain and guilt soared through him once more and without even thinking about his next words or move, he abandoned his hiding place behind the door and moved quickly into the room.

"River," he whispered. He walked closer to the bed, even as she froze and turned with a gasp to see him approaching her.

She attempted to regulate her breathing and compose herself. "Doctor, I-"

"Shh, River," he said soothingly as he sat on the edge of the bed. He looked at her for a moment, slightly surprised that she actually listened to him and stayed silent, just looking at him with a mixture of grief, confusion, and surprise as he lowered his body onto the mattress next to her.

He felt her stiffen slightly for just a moment as he pushed himself close, wrapped his arms around her waist, and stuck his chin onto her shoulder, burying his face in her wild jumble of curls that he loved so very much. "I know you're hurting," he murmured in her ear. "You don't have to hide from me."

"Oh, Doctor," she sighed wearily. "You know as well as I do that that is not true."

"No, River, no. It is true. You need to hide spoilers from me, not this. Not you. Never you," he breathed in her ear, hugging her closer to him. "You should know by now, dear, that I'm rather stronger than I look. You're my wife, River, and I love you."

River turned over in his arms, twisting on the bed to face him, looking into his eyes. "I love you too, Sweetie."

"Then tell me, River," he whispered. "Open up and tell me what's going through your head. Let me in, please."

Eyes still shining with tears, she gazed back at him, showing this rare, vulnerable side to her personality. "I won't be able to see them again." She lowered her face to his chest and continued, her voice muffled. "They were my parents and they were my best friends. And now they're gone and I can never see them again." Her voice broke just a bit on the last sentence and he felt the barest hint of wetness seep through his shirt as a sense of helplessness surged through his body.

He didn't know how to help her. He didn't know how to comfort her. He'd been married about a century, known and loved this woman for two centuries before that, and he still hadn't even come close to figuring out exactly how to deal with situations such as these. Maybe it was because River so rarely needed him to, but honestly, he'd always been rubbish at humany-type emotions and crying women in general. In times like these, especially in the centuries before River Song, he had a habit of running away.

But right now, he couldn't and it was with a bit of shock that he realized he didn't even want to. This was River Song, his wife, the woman who stopped time for him, the woman he loved more than anyone else in the entire cosmos, and she was in pain. She was grief-stricken and in mourning and despite the agony he was also feeling, he knew he had to do what he could to comfort her. She had been strong for him for far, far too long.

"It's all right to cry, you know. To feel pain," he told her quietly. "They were your parents. It matters. We both lost them. Please, dear, we can mourn together. You don't have to go through this alone."

At this, River reached up and ran her fingers gently through his hair. "You're right," she finally said quietly. "It does matter." He could see the tears start to build up in her eyes once more.

"They're gone and I can't see them again. They were my parents. They were my best friends." Her voice was low as she repeated herself but she maintained eye contact with him, her eyes searching his for any indication that he couldn't handle this, searching for any hint of weakness in his eyes. He wasn't entirely sure he _could_ handle it, but he refused to give her any reason to stop talking.

Continuing cautiously, River said, "It's been so long, though, since I was Mels. Ever since Berlin, I've had to budget my time with them. I never even saw them during University. The first time I saw them after Berlin was in the alternate timeline and Rory didn't even know who I was. It's just… I was stolen from them. They never got to properly raise me and they know, basically, what my childhood was like and they know that after all is said and done, I'm fine. But they've had to live the past ten years of their lives, knowing that they would never hold their baby again. I've tried to fill in the blanks over the years, to keep up with them, but it's never felt like enough, not after everything we've all been through. And now, it never will." River gave a great, heaving shudder and buried her face once more into his chest, attempting, again, to hold the tears back.

The Doctor felt his insides clench painfully, hearing the pain in River's voice, and more urgently, the pain expressed in her words. He knew it was difficult for her to say all of this, even to him, and while part of him was grateful she was expressing herself to him, there was another part within him that wanted to bolt within the TARDIS right now and hunt down every member of the Silence, every single being that had ever caused this extraordinary woman so much pain. But he had to stay calm. For her. Instead, he wrapped his arms more securely around River's waist, pulling her as close as he could to himself and spoke gently into her ear as she breathed erratically into his chest.

"Amy and Rory loved you, River. You know that."

"Yes, my love, I do know that. But they wanted baby Melody back, even after all these years. And I don't blame them. Now, they'll never have either of us again."

"Yes, you're right," he told her after a moment. "After Demon's Run, Amy and Rory still wanted you back as a baby; I'm not going to lie. You were ripped from their arms as an infant and then showed up five minutes later, fully grown, someone that they'd already met several times before. It was a shock. They never got to be parents to you and yes, they eventually learned about what it was like for you growing up.  
"Yes, a part of them always wanted me to go out and find you, rip you out of that orphanage, and bring you back to them. But then Berlin happened and they realized that doing so would completely unravel your life. They couldn't do that to you, even if they thought I would do it."

 _'And I wouldn't have done it anyway,'_ he thought inwardly to himself, not feeling the need to add it in. It wasn't necessary. They'd discussed that particular topic before and she understood what a selfish, selfish man he was; how he never would have been willing to give Amy and Rory their daughter back if it meant erasing River Song from existence and from his life. Or to break the promise he'd made to her so very long ago as she'd sat in that chair sacrificing herself for him. "Not one line." It was a promise he was very insistent on keeping. Not that she was aware of that particular reason yet.

"Amy and Rory loved you, River, as baby Melody, as their best friend Mels, and as their amazing, adult daughter River Song. They always loved when you visited or when we were all traveling in the TARDIS. They wouldn't have given those times for anything," he finished quietly, nuzzling her curls once more.

"Do you really think so, Doctor?" she asked.

"Oh, I know it," he assured her. "They were so proud of you, with your expeditions and your guns and cleverness. They knew you loved them and they loved you, so much. Almost… as much as I do," he added on and as he finished, he pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

At that, River lifted her head slowly, with a small smile playing on her lips and a look of such pure love that his hearts swelled to what he thought must be the point of bursting. "Thank you, Sweetie," she said softly and pressed a kiss to his lips, cupping his face lightly. His lips responded of their own accord as he kissed her back gently.

Soon enough, however, River deepened the kiss and leaned up onto her elbows to give herself better access to him. He kissed her hungrily for a minute, marveling inwardly that he hadn't properly kissed her once since encountering her yesterday. Allowing himself to enjoy the feel and taste of her, he felt his body respond to her as she moved off the mattress and over top of him. She was almost straddling him when he remembered, suddenly, exactly where they were.

Groaning, he pulled his mouth from hers. "River… River, we- we have to stop," he said as she peppered kisses over his neck.

"Why on Earth," she panted between kisses, "would we have to stop, Sweetie?" Her hands were on his chest and she started to undo the buttons of his shirt.

"River, we-," his voice had gone all high-pitched and squeaky and oh, how he hated when that happened. "We-we're in Amy and Rory's-your parents' bed! We can't- it's… it's indecent! River!"

This didn't seem to bother River in the slightest. "And as we've already established, honey, they aren't going to be needing it anymore." There was still a hint of pain behind her eyes but she didn't stop her ministrations.

As this moral dilemma ran through the part of his brain that was still functioning, she popped open the last of the buttons on his shirt and ran her hands over his chest, grazing her nails over his nipples and he moaned deeply. She latched onto his mouth once more, wrapping her tongue fiercely around his own, swallowing the rest of his protests.

He couldn't bring himself to fight it anymore and simply gave into the inevitable and- managing to put away the fact that they were in Amy and Rory's bed, that they were both grieving, and struggling to come to terms with this new bump in the road- he made love to his wife. He held her as tightly and closely as he possibly could the entire time, doing all he could to bring forth as many of those sounds she made that simply drove him wild and she seemed to do the same, cutting her nails into his back and wrapping her legs firmly around his waist. They used their bodies to heal each other, knowing they were all the other had in the universe.

In the end, they lay tangled in each other and the sheets, sweat drying on their skin as they clutched onto each other. They both held on for dear life, afraid to let the other go, in case they slipped forever out of reach. And it was like this, legs and arms still entwined and heads tucked together, that they both fell asleep, grateful to have each other, even if only just for now.


	2. Awkward Interruptions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long to post. I had wanted to make some minor edits before it put this up here but unfortunately real life got in the way for a good, long while. I'll try to have the next part up much sooner.

The Doctor didn't stay asleep long. He just couldn't. Timelords needed less sleep than humans (even Human-Plus Timelords, like River) and he had really only just woken up from a full night's sleep before coming to find her. He woke up about 20 minutes after falling asleep next to her in the Pond's bedroom, feeling at peace for the first time since picking Amy and Rory up the day before. He was wrapped in the arms of his wife, feeling her skin pressed against his own and he savored in it; it helped keep the pain at bay. 

River, on the other hand, was still fast asleep. While her need for sleep was less than a full human's, she still needed more than he did. While he could go several days without  _needing_  to sleep, River generally required at least a couple hours a night and he usually joined her when they were together. Even though she'd fallen asleep first on the TARDIS last night, he doubted she'd actually slept much before now. 

It had been a quiet affair on the TARDIS after he got back from reading Amy's letter. He'd shown it to River, of course, but then they had pretty much sat in silence in their bedroom for the remaining hours before exhaustion overtook both of them. He hadn't known what to say, didn't think he would have been coherent or considerate enough to say something that would be helpful to either of them, so he hadn't said anything and she'd taken his lead. 

Mulling this over as he carefully pulled his arms free, trying his hardest not to wake her, he started to gently twirl his fingers through her curls. He really did love them; the way they were all twisty and turn-y and were simply everywhere all at once. They still captivated him, after all these years. The Doctor had done this a thousand times before, of course, lying in this exact position, but River was usually awake, laughing lovingly at him as he played with her hair. He always loved when he got her like this, asleep and at peace, where he could play with her curls and study the beautiful bounty that was her face to his hearts' content. He was more than happy to just lie here forever, watching her sleep and running his fingers through those magnificent, blonde ringlets. 

He was doing exactly that nearly an hour later, when he heard a loud gasp of surprise come from the doorway. The Doctor's head shot up so fast he swore he'd get whiplash and instantly felt his stomach drop and both his hearts stop. 

There, standing in the doorway to the bedroom, and with a perfect view of the naked couple beneath the covers, was Brian Williams. He stood there, rooted to the spot with a dumbstruck look on his face, shock, confusion, and embarrassment all fighting for dominance. 

"Brian!" The Doctor squeaked out, horrorstruck. He shot up in bed, panicky, letting the covers drop to his waist. Unfortunately, as he did so, he'd forgotten that his fingers were still tangled in River's hair, which he'd accidentally taken along with his hand rather forcefully. 

She awoke with a shout of pain and surprise, a glare instantly forming on her face. "Doctor, what the hell-!" she exclaimed, clearly annoyed, as she sat up as well, thankfully taking the covers with her. She glanced up and saw Brian. The Doctor didn't think he'd  _ever_  seen River blush, not when she’d been forced, due to unforeseen circumstances and a particularly nasty swarm of cloth-eating moths, to help him save a war-torn moon with no clothes on, or any of the times they'd been arrested for public indecency on several different planets, or even the time Amy and Rory had walked in on the two of them doing something they really shouldn't have seen. But right now, there was definitely a hint of red to her checks as she swore and checked to make sure her chest was still covered. 

Immediately, the Doctor glanced hurriedly from River to Brian, who had quickly shot a hand up to cover his eyes as soon as River had moved. He still seemed unable to move and his attempt at stuttering out a response was a miserable failure. 

As for the Doctor, he was bereft of any words which could diffuse the situation, but that never stopped his mouth from running before. "I-I-I, that is to say, we-er- it's not what it looks like, I swear!" he babbled, almost incoherently, waving his arms around. "Unless you're thinking- well, ok, it's probably exactly what it looks like, but-!" 

"Doctor, please, shut up!" River snapped impatiently, but it was then that Brian seemed to find both his voice and his legs. 

He still had his hand clapped over his eyes when he spoke. "Sorry! Sorry! The door was open- and- and I thought I left it shut last time I was here. I thought – well, it- it doesn't matter. I'll- I'll just leave you two alone. Be downstairs. Sorry!" he rambled, mortified, as he groped, blind, inside the room, found the doorknob, and, pulled it shut behind him and made a hasty retreat. 

The Doctor flopped back down onto the mattress and buried his face in his hands, groaning loudly. "River, that was-" 

"I know," she moaned, as she also dropped back down next to his, likewise burying her face in her hands. 

"We were- he -he saw-!" 

"Yes, I know, Sweetie." 

They were both silent for a minute, each taking in what had just happened, trying to figure out how to get out of this predicament with as little embarrassment and awkwardness as possible. 

"That was bad, wasn't it?" he asked quietly. 

"Oh, yes," she groaned, removing her hands from her face and shifting to look over at him. 

He moaned, pitifully. "This is all your fault, you know!" he whined, shifting and turning to face her as well. 

Glaring at him, she said, "My fault? How can you blame this on me?" 

"It was all your idea!" he groused at her. "You're the one who insisted on... having…" he lowered his voice to barely a whisper, " _sex…_  in your parents' bed! I said no, but you practically jumped me!" His words were angry and maybe even his voice was a bit as well, because frustration was genuinely building up for the whole situation, but he reached a hand out and bopped her nose with a finger to show he wasn't  _really_  angry. Not with her, at least. 

She continued to glare, but he could see a smile behind her eyes. She slapped him playfully on the arm as she responded, "Oh, I didn't hear you complaining in the middle of it all. You seemed to be enjoying it quite a bit. And you were  _very_  vocal!" 

"That's because, Professor Song," he growled at her, "I am incapable of ever saying no to you. Completely irresistible, you are."

 She smiled that smile of hers that he loved so much and they descended once more into silence for just a few moments. After about a minute, River seemed to have collected herself enough to contemplate the situation at hand. She sighed and gazed forlornly into his eyes. 

"We have to-" she started but he was quick to interrupt her. 

"Yes, yes, I know," he groaned irritably. His face, unlike hers, was still brick-red as he glanced once more at the closed door. He sighed deeply and sat up once more, rubbing his face wearily with his hands, and glanced down at her. "All right, all right. I guess it's time to face the music, as they say," he said and threw the covers back, reaching over the side of the bed for the first pieces of clothing he saw, which consisted of his pants and socks, the last articles River had flung from his body less than two hours earlier. 

Setting the socks aside, he stood to pull the pants on and glanced around the room, looking for the rest of his clothing. He spotted his shirt and trousers on top of the dresser, picked them up, and blushed again when he saw that they had landed on top of a picture of all four of them- Amy, Rory, he and River. He turned away and saw River's knickers at the foot of the bed and her bra covering the lamp on the end table on his side. 

He didn't realize they had been quite so… enthusiastic earlier. Their clothes were literally strewn everywhere. No wonder Brian had been so flabbergasted. He grabbed the bra and knickers, dangling them from the fingers on each hand, and turned to River. 

"I think you'll be needing these, dear," he said turning to her, a smile starting to play itself across his lips. The smile stopped, however, when he looked at her and saw her still lying down, a somber and thoughtful expression on her face. 

"River," he called softly, pausing in his own movements, worry burying its way inside him. "River, I know that this conversation with Brian didn't exactly start how we would have liked and I admit this probably won't be very high on dignity, but we're here now. We have to go down there and do this. He has to know what happened. I owe him that much," he told her, his voice shaking with suppressed emotion. He knew she could hear the unspoken request in his voice and words, could hear him silently begging her not to make him do this part on his own. It was the first time he had let his own vulnerability show since stepping out of the TARDIS. 

"Oh, you daft man," she sighed fondly and leaned up onto an elbow. "Of course I'm coming with you. I wouldn't leave you to do this on your own. You'd probably just start rambling and confusing him and totally mucking this up even more," She said with a laugh. Yet, her expression darkened as she continued. 

"It's just… how much do we tell him?" she asked, her voice smaller than he was used to hearing it as she gazed at him like an ashamed, frightened child. 

"Ahh…" He understood now. He really was quite thick sometimes. As Rory's father, Brian Williams also happened to be River's grandfather; her grandfather who he was rather positive, after spending so much time with him during the year of the slow invasion, hadn't the faintest idea as to her existence. A fact which, after seeing River's expression and apparent reluctance to go downstairs, he was positive River was well aware of. 

"Well," he said quietly as he sat down on the bed and started rubbing her calf soothingly, "how much do you  _want_  to tell him?" 

She looked back at him helplessly (and really, seeing her this exposed and open as much as he had today was quite strange for him. Not that he minded, but it would definitely take some getting used to. It unsettled him just a bit.) and said, "I don't know. Part of me feels he deserves to know who I am, that I exist, but the other part- Sweetie, Mum and Dad had their reasons for not telling their families about me. It's a lot to take in and come to terms with, especially now that they're gone." 

Her eyes were downcast and voice low but a light passed quickly through her face as she continued, letting out a soft laugh, "And now we've gone and nearly given the poor man a heart attack. Finding out who I am, after this,  _may_  not be the best thing at the moment. 

The Doctor reddened once more and gulped. "Well, yes, but- er- still, if you want him to know, we can tell him. We'll find a way to do it gently. Brian  _has_  traveled with me, you know. Dinosaurs on a spaceship and mysterious black boxes dropping out of the sky. He's fairly well-equipped to deal with the timey-wimeyness that is your life. He'll understand. We'll make him understand," he said, in what he hoped was a convincing tone. 

"And I think he'd want to know," he told her gently, as he continued to rub her leg, tracing circular symbols into her skin that only the two of them could understand. "Amy and Rory are gone. If he knew about you, if you maybe dropped in and visited from time to time, that could very well help ease the pain, for both of you." 

Something shifted in River's eyes. "I supposed you're right. Maybe," she said and sat up. "We'll play it by ear, I guess. But if we don't get down there soon, he's going to start thinking we're starting on round two," she said with a smirk and a raised eyebrow. 

"River!" he exclaimed, feeling that damned blush creep its way back up his face. "Don't say that! He-he-he can't possibly be thinking that! How could he think we could… after- well-" 

"Oh, Sweetie, you really are adorable when you're flustered. I have half a mind to just make him wait and think what he likes," she said with a flirtatious smirk and moved to rise from the bed and stand up. He allowed himself to enjoy the view as she bent over to retrieve her clothes from the floor, then quickly hopped out of bed himself. He picked up his shirt and trousers and they both dressed quickly then moved together towards the door. 

The prospect of facing Brian now was starting to hit him and he knew that if River weren't here with him, he probably would have run back to the TARDIS and avoided the coming conversation completely. But he had been being truthful when he said he owed Brian an explanation for why he would never see his son and daughter-in-law again. He had promised to always bring them home safe and it was his responsibility to explain his failure. 

"Ready?" River asked him, eyeing him carefully. 

He looked at her, reached down, and grabbed her hand. "Ready as I'll ever be."

He would never be ready for this, but he knew, somehow, that he would be able to face absolutely anything with River by his side. So together, they opened the door and stepped out, preparing to face the coming challenge, together.


	3. Breaking the News

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been an embarrassingly long time since this was updated, which is completely inexcusable, considering it was finished before I even uploaded the first two chapters here and has been sitting mostly finished over on FFN for months. But I wasn't happy with it and got demotivated and didn't want to post something I wasn't liking on here so I waited. Now, I've made some small changes, am happier with it now than I was before and am uploading the next two chapters. Hope you guys enjoy!

The Doctor and River descended the stairs slowly, then each took a deep breath, glanced at each other, and went in search of Brian. The lounge was empty, so they walked down the hall to the kitchen, where they found him at the helm of a steaming tea kettle, pouring some into three cups. He must have heard them approach because, without turning his back, he spoke, "Figured you two would like some tea." 

"Er-thank you, Brian," the Doctor said rather stupidly. "Tea would be great. We'll just –erm…wait for you in the lounge then?" 

"Yeah, that's fine. I'll just be a mo'," he said, still facing away from them. 

The Doctor looked helplessly at River, who simply shrugged and dragged him by the hand out of the kitchen and back into the lounge. She settled the both of them on the sofa. He made sure, however, to sit as far away from her as the furniture would allow. He didn't need Brian getting any  _ideas_  about what they were up to in here. River saw this and rolled her eyes, but leaned back, making herself comfortable. 

Barely a minute later, Brian followed them into the room, a tea tray in his hands. "I just brought all the fixings out, hope you don't mind. I remember how you like your tea, Doctor, but I didn't know about you, Miss- er Ms.-?" he led off, questioningly, looking at River with a still embarrassed smile on his face. 

"Professor, actually," River said with a smile, all traces of her previous embarrassment gone. This was the River he was used to- sexily confident. "Professor River Song, but you can call me River, of course," she said brightly, reaching out a hand to shake, which Brian deftly took before sitting down on the chair across from them. 

"Well, it's nice to meet you, River," he said politely as he took hold of his teacup and gestured for them to do the same. Once they had, he leaned back in his chair and studied them warily before cautiously asking, "So you - er- travel with the Doctor, then?" 

"Not nearly often, enough," the Doctor grumbled, almost to himself, and River laughed softly. 

"I'm his wife," she said with a fond glance towards him. 

This seemed to surprise Brian, who gaped for half a second. "Wife?" he questioned the Doctor. "You never mentioned you were married!" 

The Doctor crossed his arms grumpily. "Yes, well you never asked, did you?" He didn't want to discuss this. It was private and there were more important matters to discuss, matters he very much wished could be avoided. 

"It's something we tend to keep a bit quiet," River told Brian. "And what I'm sure he meant before was that yes, obviously, I do travel with him, but not always. Usually, I'm out there doing my own thing while he's off having his adventures." 

"I see," Brian said, but it was evident from the look on his face that he didn't. 

It was then that the Doctor decided to speak and get the humiliating part over with. "About what you just - er - walked in on- I-I mean, you didn't  _walk in_  on us, we were... done... by then… but-  _ow_!" He broke off abruptly when River slapped the back of his head. "River!" 

"Quiet, Sweetie," she said firmly and looked apologetically at Brian, who had a faint blush creeping back up his face again. "What I'm sure this bumbling idiot  _meant_ to say was that we're really very sorry that you walked in and saw what you did. I'm sure it was quite a surprise," she glanced at the Doctor, who was still rubbing his head and muttering darkly under his breath. 

"Suppose it was a bit of a shock," Brian laughed shakily. "Wasn't expecting anyone to be home. Rory and Amy have been off traveling with him there for about a week. Walked upstairs to make sure everything was in order. Saw the bedroom door open, thought maybe they'd come home. So, yeah, bit of a surprise." 

"Yes, well, as I was  _trying_  to say before some very rude person  _slapped_ me... again," the Doctor said petulantly towards River, "We really are quite sorry and it won't happen again. Quite inappropriate, really, if you think about it." He stopped, noticing the warning look River was shooting him. 

"No need to apologize to me," Brian said with another laugh. "Not my bedroom, was it? Where are Amy and Rory, by the way? Pop off to the shops, I reckon? There's not much to eat in that kitchen, if they were having you two over." 

And there it was, the perfect segue into the conversation the Doctor desperately wished he could avoid for another century or two. He looked at River, lost. She reached over, squeezed his knee reassuringly and said quietly, "No, Brian, they're not." 

Brian's eyes darkened mournfully and turned onto the Doctor, who knew that Brian understood the implication in River's words. He saw that instant veil of sadness and grief pass over his face. "What happened?" he asked quietly, his voice catching with unshed tears and betraying only a tiny amount of anger and blame behind the words. 

The Doctor sighed deeply as grief welled up inside of him once more. "It's complicated. Basically, they were… sent back in time, after creating a paradox, to somewhere that I can't rescue them from. They're stuck now. I'm sorry." 

"But," River interjected quickly, "they're together and they're happy. I promise you."

Brian seemed to take this in. He was now leaning forward in his chair, hands clasped together in front of his face. They heard his erratic breathing and a couple of shaky sobs before he took a breath and seemed to nod once to himself. He just sat there for a minute, not saying anything. 

The Doctor was at a loss for words, which was almost unheard of for him. The guilt inside him, which had started to hide while he had been comforting River earlier, was rearing its ugly head and raging once more. 

Amy and Rory were gone, lost forever, and it was all his fault. He should have ushered them back into the TARDIS immediately after popping back to the cemetery. He should have stopped reading that blasted book. He should have left Amy and Rory at home in Leadworth where they belonged. He should have never crashed the TARDIS into little Amelia's garden. 

But no, he had to be selfish, like always, and kept going back for the Ponds, ripping them out of their lives again and again and again until, finally, it had become permanent. Now Brian had to face the knowledge that he would never see either his son or daughter-in-law again. 

The Doctor knew the feeling of losing a child- all of his children, his grandchildren, they were all gone. That was a feeling he wouldn't wish upon anyone. He always hated himself in moments like this, where a parent had to face the prospect of a child never coming home because of him. 

He tried, he always tried to bring everyone home safely, but he'd known for centuries now that something was bound to happen to his Ponds; that eventually, time and fate would catch up with them- how many times can a human face death and destruction and still come out unscathed? 

"How do you mean 'they were sent back in time?'" Brian asked suddenly, jarring him out of his dark thoughts. Brian had lowered his hands to reveal his blotchy-red face, streaked with tears. "By who? And why can't you just go get them in the TARDIS?" 

River glanced at him and, thankfully, took up the mantel of speech. "It was the Weeping Angels," she said quietly. "They're an alien race that disguises themselves as statues whenever you're looking at them. But the moment you're not, they're something else entirely. They can move as long as they aren't being watched and they're fast." 

She looked at Brian, who still had tears in his eyes but seemed to understand what she was saying, as much as possible at least. "That's when they attack. They touch you and send you to the past. Let you live out your life there, while they feed off the energy of your unlived life back home." 

The Doctor listened as she spoke, making the Weeping Angels sound almost reasonable, trying to ensure Brian understood what had happened, but he could tell that talking about it was paining her. It would pain him as well, of course, but he couldn't let her do it all on her own. She'd had her turn; it was now time for his. Besides, it was  _his_ responsibility to tell Brian exactly what had happened. So, he took the hand River was still resting on his knee into his own and stroked it with the other. Then he continued the story himself, while River glanced at him with a mixture of relief and concern on her face. 

"They got Rory first," he said quietly, his head down, staring at River's hand in his, the same one he had healed less than a day ago, and did his best to fight off the rising tide of emotions in his chest. "I'd taken the two of them to New York in 2012. We were just enjoying a quiet day in the park and Rory went to get coffee. That's when they took him. Amy and I were able to determine when he had been sent to, and after an extremely bumpy ride into a time distortion field, landed in 1938." 

Brian seemed to think on this, his head bowed and knuckles to his lips. "How could you tell where he'd been taken? Or that anything had happened at all?" he asked, confused, with pain evident in his voice. 

The Doctor groaned inwardly. That would take some explaining and would probably confuse the man even more. Then, it would start him asking questions about River and he wasn't sure she was ready for that part of the conversation quite yet. "Well, see, there was this book… I was reading it and suddenly Rory and River were  _in_  the book." 

" _In_  the book? What does that mean?" Brian asked. "How could he be in a book? What book? Where did you get it?" 

"I found it!" he huffed indignantly. 

"Found it?" River interjected sharply. "Where?" 

"In my jacket pocket, of course! Where else?" he asked, impatiently. Who cared where he found the book? It didn't matter right now. 

"And how did a book about Rory end up in your jacket pocket?" Brian asked again, the confusion he was feeling masking the grief in his eyes. 

"How should I know?" he exclaimed. "It's not the first time I've found something unusual in my pocket, you know! I've stopped asking about it!” He stopped to address River, “Considering the cover and title, I assumed it was something you left behind the last time you were on the TARDIS, after the Fourth Moon of Nax'il!" He stopped ranting and grinned at the memory of their night together after  _that_  particular adventure. 

"Spoilers," she hushed him. 

"You bet it's spoilers- just wait 'till you get there," he flirted with a smirk. "Very enjoyable encounter, if I do say so myself." 

She smirked back with a twinkle in her eye before glancing back at Brian, who was sitting there, lost depressed, confused, and back to looking more than a tad bit uncomfortable. "Maybe it's not the time for that particular brand of spoilers, Sweetie." 

He glanced up, remembering they weren't alone and were, in fact, in the middle of ripping a man's heart out. The grin slipped from his face. "Erm… yes… right… anyway, basically, Brian, River here wrote the book. Or will write it in the future, that is. Anyway, Rory met River in 1938. She was already there, investigating the Angels. Amy and I met up with them and, long story short, Amy and Rory ended up jumping off a building to destroy a paradox," he paused here, which judging from the horrified look on Brian's face, maybe wasn't the best idea he'd ever had. River rolled her eyes and continued in his stead, quick to ease the pain of Brian's misunderstanding. 

"Which destroyed the paradox and brought us all back to 2012, where we belonged," she said quickly, while the Doctor shot her and Brian a properly chastised look. "We were about to go out and celebrate when a surviving Angel took Rory again. But this time, because of the paradox, we couldn't go back to get him." There were tears in her eyes once more and the Doctor could hear her voice wavering. He grasped her hand tightly in his own as tears sprang to his own eyes. He saw her close her eyes for just a second and take a deep breath. "Amy couldn't stand the thought of living without him. She let the Angel take her. So they could be together. And they were. They both lived long, happy lives. Just separate from the rest of us." 

They all lapsed into silence for a few minutes, as Brian took the news in and they all mulled over what had happened. Brian sniffed a few times, wiped away the tears streaming down his face, and finally spoke. "Well… I guess that's all I can ask for, given the circumstances. I won't pretend to understand exactly what happened. Paradoxes, and time distortions, and statues that move. But I think I've got the gist of it," He sniffed again, was quiet a moment, took another deep breath, and said, looking up for the first time, "You're sure they were ok? And together? Happy?" 

"Yes," River answered. "At some point in their future, Amy left a letter for the Doctor to find, right after they disappeared. She assured him that they were just fine and happy and definitely together." 

Brian nodded and was silent once more, until the Doctor, overcome with grief and guilt, spoke. "I'm sorry, Brian. I promised to bring them home safe and I didn't. I lost them and I'm sorry." 

Brian seemed to consider him for a moment, then said, "I know you did what you could. I know it's not your fault. To be honest, I sort of expected something like this to happen. Just not so soon. I had hoped this would happen years off and I'd have more time," he sighed wistfully, trying to keep his composure together. "But I also didn't expect it to happen like this. They're all right. That's something. That's what important, I guess." 

He paused, and then shook his head, as if trying to clear his thoughts. "So… Mrs.- er- Professor Song… River… did you know them well? Amy and Rory?" he asked her. "You seem to, but I don't think they've ever even mentioned you. But I can't help feeling that you look a bit familiar." 

"Yes, I knew Amy and Rory quite well. I've known them longer than you'd believe," River said with a small laugh that didn't reach her eyes. "I'm in a picture here and there around the house, you might have seen at some point or another. We were quite close, the three of us." 

She paused. "Well, the four of us, of course but he came later," she said with a glance at the Doctor, who merely sat up from his slumped over position on the sofa and went to straighten is bowtie, before he remembered he wasn't wearing one. 

"So you didn't meet them through him, then?" Brian asked quizzically. 

"Well, sort of," she shrugged, "but no, not really." 

"I don't understand," Brian said, a completely befuddled look on his face. 

"It really is quite a long story, Brian," the Doctor said steadily, glancing at his wife. "Very complicated and not the easiest to hear. Or to tell, for that matter." 

"Please," Brian begged quietly, "if it has to do with Rory and Amy, I would like to hear it. I can't see my boy again. I'd love to hear anything you could tell me about him and Amy. Maybe make it seem, for a bit, like they're still here." 

The Doctor sighed deeply, for what felt like the thousandth time today and felt River do the same next to him. He looked over at her, warily. "What do you say, dear; feel like telling your story?" 

River glanced from him to Brian and stared at him for a minute, studying his face, seeing the slightly hopeful expression on his face, waiting for just one more story to feel connected to his son. Seeming to come to a decision, he saw her steel herself before saying, "Well, with a request like that, how can I refuse?" 

The Doctor looked at her, ignoring Brian for now. River was more important, and despite his advice to her earlier, really didn't want her doing this if she wasn't ready. "Are you sure?" he asked her firmly. "All of it?" 

She pulled her hand free from his hand gently and patted his twice, then pulled her own back into her lap. "Might as well," she said softly, then with all of her usual confidence, said, "Now, Brian, as the Doctor said, it's a very complicated and difficult story, nothing like what you're expecting, I can guarantee you. Are you sure you want to hear it?" 

Brian didn't even hesitate. "Yes." 

The Doctor and River shared a glance, taking comfort in each other before delving into this particular story. Neither of them could be sure how he would take any of the news they were about to give him or exactly how to start telling him. 

He wished he could make this easier for her, but he knew she would have to deal with it sooner or later. So, he resolved instead to just sit and listen, jump in when he could, and simply be there to be the support-hold he'd promised himself earlier to be for her. 

He decided the least he could do right now was to get the ball rolling and start the story himself. He just wasn't exactly sure how to do that, so he said, mostly seriously but, hoping to break the grief-filled tension in the room a bit, with a giddy sort of jaunt to his voice, "So! Where do we start, then?"


	4. Starting it Off

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the second chapter I promised today that has also been mostly done for ages. Sorry it took so long for me to be happy enough with it to post here. I think I'll do one more chapter to finish up, then I'm starting up something new. Not sure when either of those will be up, but I promise it will be sooner than 8 months :P

Silence reigned until Brian, sensing that the Doctor's words were not just his way of starting the story, said, "Well, why not at the beginning?"

"The beginning is an excellent place to start a story," the Doctor said cheerily, "I usually recommend most storytellers start at the beginning! However, finding the beginning of this story is just about impossible. See, there are several beginnings to this particular tale."

"How can there be several beginnings to a story?" Brian asked.

"When there's time travel involved, of course!" the Doctor said excitedly. "Where it starts depends entirely on whose perspective you're talking about!"

Brian just looked at him blankly and the Doctor wondered, briefly, if he'd been right in his earlier assessment that Brian would be able to follow along just fine. But as he and River had agreed earlier, it simply had to be done. He decided to make matters a bit smoother and tried a different approach.

"Alright, how do you want to do this, dear?" he asked River quietly. Brian could still hear, of course; he was less than three feet away, but he felt better whispering, nonetheless. "To the point, or a bit more gentle?"

River seemed to consider the question seriously. "To the point, I suppose. But gently, still!" she scolded and he grimaced. He really wasn't looking forward to this and knew that being slower with the explanation would simply draw the coming awkwardness out. There wasn't another good way to go about doing this though.

"So, Brian!" he clapped his hands together enthusiastically, trying to instill some good old-fashioned excitement into the tale and throw the melancholy and hesitancy out of his vocal tone. "River doesn't come into the story until a bit later, but I assure you, it's all leading up to her meeting Amy and Rory. It just takes a bit of setting up."

"Alright, let's hear it then," Brian said casually, sipping from his teacup and setting it back down on the table once more. He settled comfortably into his chair once more and the Doctor tried not to think about how he wouldn't be sitting quite so relaxed for much longer.

The Doctor looked to River, who just smiled encouragingly at him and motioned for him to continue. He knew she was interested in how exactly he was going to start the story, and if truth be told, he was too. It wasn't until he actually opened his mouth and started speaking that he had any idea what he was going to say at all.

"The night of Amy and Rory's wedding, they left and came traveling with me," he started, trying to think through his next few sentences to ensure he didn't say anything to off-topic. "I was prepared to leave them behind to live out their lives but they decided to rejoin me. They traveled with me for a while after. I took them to a few honeymoon destinations - some turned out better than others, I admit. Eventually, we all agreed that it was time for them to come home for a bit and adjust to married life on Earth. They settled in, I traveled on my own for a bit… a few months later for them, about a year later for me, we all met up again, they came traveling on the TARDIS again and all seemed normal for a while.

"But I started noticing Amy displaying some… unusual symptoms and the TARDIS couldn't tell me exactly what was going on. I started to do some of my own research and came to the conclusion that the Amy that Rory and I had on board with us was not actually Amy at all."

Brian's eyes shot open in bewilderment. "What does that mean? Not Amy? Who was it then… and where was Amy?"

"The Amy on board the TARDIS the previous few months was a flesh duplicate," he said carefully, and seeing Brian's confused look, elaborated, "Basically, she was a fake body designed to look like Amy and which was being controlled by the real Amy's consciousness. She had been kidnapped and essentially made to unknowingly control the duplicate so that Rory and I wouldn't notice that she had been taken at all."

"What do you mean she'd been kidnapped?" Brian asked urgently, sitting upright in his chair. "Who took her?"

The Doctor sighed as he continued and looked to River, but she merely looked back at him, listening to him speak. "It was an organization called the Silence. I hadn't had much direct contact with them before but their main goal was to eradicate me from existence. They kidnapped Amy at some point after I dropped them off at home after their wedding and replaced her with the flesh duplicate."

"But why would they take Amy if it was you they wanted dead?" Brian's face still held no blame, which considering the news they had only just broken to him, was nothing short of a miracle.

"Because Amy had something they needed… but they couldn't get it yet. They had to wait, so they needed a way to ensure we didn't suspect anything was wrong until after they got what they wanted." He looked to River once more, who was now leaning over, her elbows over her knees and her hands interlocked. She seemed to be struggling with the decision on whether or not to open her mouth. He watched her a moment and when it seemed she had decided to let him continue, he spoke again, his head down as he avoided Brian's questioning gaze, "She was pregnant, Brian."

The other man's eyes shot open in surprise. "Pregnant?" he almost whispered, surprise and wonder and confusion etched into his voice. "But I thought Amy couldn't have any kids? That's why the two of them almost split up a few years ago. And…" his gaze darkened quickly as they put the pieces together. "Something happened didn't it? To the baby? Because they don't have one now… or didn't, I should say. That was years ago and I don't have any grandchildren. It's always been just the two of them here."

The Doctor looked at Brian once more, tearing his gaze away from the carpet and sighed. Brian's face burned, his expression pleading with them to answer his question and almost begging them not to add to the grief he'd already suffered that day. "By the time I knew for absolute certain what was going on, Amy was already in labor. The contractions had started to bleed through to the flesh version of her. I deactivated it and tried my best to explain to Rory what was going on. We searched for weeks, trying to find them. I called in all of my favors across the universe, assembled a team of some of my most trusted allies and we found out where Amy was being held."

"So you went and found them, yeah? You and Rory and River and your friends?"

River spoke up. "I wasn't with them on this one Brian. This wasn't something I could help with."

"And why not?" he blustered, his anxiousness showing on his face clearly.

"Because I already knew what was going to happen," River said gently, rubbing her knuckles with her other hand. "I couldn't interfere with what was, for me, an established event. The Doctor and Rory stormed their base and rescued Amy, sent the whole army running without even much trouble… but the Silence managed to escape with the baby."

Brian shut his eyes tightly and a tear slowly leaked out as he clenched his fists tightly against the pain inside his chest. The Doctor and River both looked on helplessly and he fought to control himself. Finally, he spoke. "Was it a boy or a girl?" he asked quietly.

"A girl," River said gently.

Brian nodded, a slight smile fighting across his face. "Rory would have been good with a girl," he chuckled gently. "He always figured he would have been rubbish with a boy…," he looked up, gazing beseechingly at both of them. "What was her name?"

"Well, that's a difficult question to answer, Brian," the Doctor said slowly, sharing a glance with River, silently asking if she wanted him to continue. She took her time, thought for a moment, and then nodded, giving him permission to go on. "Amy and Rory named her Melody. Melody Pond. Amy always did love her last name," he chuckled weakly before sobering his expression once more.

Brian smiled gently, the sorrow still predominant in his eyes, and opened his mouth to speak, but the Doctor cut him off, racing to speak first.

He took River's hand in his own, prying it out of the grasp of her other hand as surreptitiously and gently as he could. "She was born Melody Pond, but for most of her life now, she's been known, primarily, as River Song."

All the air seemed to leave the room at once. River's jaw tightened immediately and she fought to keep her head up and gazing straight ahead. He felt her grasp his hand back, grabbing hold of him desperately while still attempting to look unaffected by his words.

Brian's head, on the other hand, shot up once more, his eyes widening almost comically, his jaw dropped, and he struggled to get any words to come out of his mouth. It was very similar to earlier, when he had been frozen in shock outside the bedroom door. He seemed unable to move or speak while his brain processed the information that had been relayed to him. The surprise seemed to register on his face in tides. First shock, then confusion, despair, more confusion, and finally, the barest hint of joy, all seeming to register in the space of about five seconds, which afterward, all seemed to blend together into one facial expression which would have been rather comical if the situation hadn't been quite so serious.

His eyes traveled from the Doctor to River, then back to the Doctor, before finally settling back on River. His eyes continued to glisten as he finally found his voice. "You're their-" he stopped, unable to continue, and cleared his throat. "You're Amy and Rory's daughter? That's what you're saying?"

River didn't seem to know how best to respond. "Yes," she said finally. "Amy and Rory were my parents."

He didn't seem to know how to respond to that. His eyes kept darting back and forth between her and the Doctor, as if waiting for one of them to admit it was some kind of joke and looking like he wasn't sure if he wanted them to or not.

"How?" He manages to croak out helplessly and River laughed softly.

"It's complicated."

"If- if you're really Rory and Amy's... daughter," he spoke slowly, as if he were still working out his words as he spoke, "that makes you my... granddaughter?" he questioned hesitantly, raising his gaze to look her directly in the eye for confirmation.

"I suppose so, yes, it does," she said to him, meeting his gaze steadily.

Confusion and pain still dominated his face but slowly a smile affixed itself to his lips and he started to beam at her incredulously. "That's-that's- wow. I'm a granddad. Huh!" he chuckled slowly. "But I don't suppose you could explain exactly what happened? And why you're...well...not a child? 'Cuz Amy and Rory may have aged more traveling through time but I know they weren't old enough to have an adult child."

"Well, as we said, it's rather a long story," River said, smiling. Her grip in the Doctor's hand relaxed somewhat and he relaxed in turn. The worst was over, the news was out, and Brian had taken it all rather well, all things considered.

"Well, I want to hear it," Brian said confidently, sniffing and wiping the last of his tears away. "I want all the details about them... and about you. I'm not gonna lie- this is all very strange, but I believe you. I don't think he'd lie about something like this, for one" he said motioning to the Doctor. "But I want to know the whole story. What happened? You- you said you were kidnapped? You obviously found your way back. How? And why didn't they tell any of us about you?"

He obviously had a lot of questions, and really, that was to be expected. The Doctor didn't like questions, at least not these sorts of questions. They were necessary, of course, which was why he was sitting here, listening as River explained and jumping in where he felt it appropriate. This whole situation, however, made him extremely uncomfortable. He didn't like to deal with intense, emotional scenes like he'd been forced into today and that, coupled with the grief still plaguing him, did nothing to improve his outlook.

So he sat there and listened intently as his wife started to explain, part of him wishing that they could just get on with things. All of the news was out, River and her grandfather could begin to develop whatever relationship they decided to have and then they could leave this house that was such a reminder of his loyal, lost companions. But he owed all four of them more than a rushed explanation, so he bit his tongue and put on a brave face.

"Well, I suppose the first thing you need to know, in order to really understand everything," River said, leaning forward and picking up her teacup for the first time, "is that I'm not completely human." She said it delicately but casually, as if it were the most normal thing in the world to tell someone.

But Brian barely blinked. He still looked confused, but after everything else they have heaped on him today, this wasn't exactly the most shocking. "How's that possible? Amy and Rory were both human- I would know! Unless Tabitha and Augustus have been keeping something from us all these years and are really from someone much further than Scotland," he said, laughing.

River laughed as well, and even the Doctor had to crack a smile and give a small chuckle. "No, both Amy and Rory were completely human and the Ponds were just from Scotland," she said, still laughing.

"Then how could you not be human? If you're the daughter of two humans, then you should be too, right?"

River still looked amused as she looked over at the Doctor. "Do you want to take this one, Sweetie?" she asked him, her eyes dancing merrily.

He glared at her. "Oh no, dear. They're your parents, it's your existence.  _You_  can explain…  _that_  part," he retorted, feeling his blush creep slowly up his neck once more.

"Oh, but Doctor, you were there when it happened," she said cheerfully. "I'm sure you can explain  _so_  much better than I can."

"I was not  _there_  for it, River. I was nowhere near them when…  _it_ … was happening!" he screeched out throwing his hands in the air in defense.

"Sorry," Brian interjected, "but what exactly are you two talking about?"

"Oh, just the reason I was born with non-human DNA. I wasn't around as an adult at the time of my own conception and birth, but he was," River said, merriment in her eyes still. "I figured he might prefer to explain it, seeing as he's the one who ended up putting the pieces together."

"Oh, you did not!" the Doctor exclaimed turning to glare at her sternly. "You just wanted to see me blush and stumble over my words! You thrive on embarrassing me, River Song."

"Of course I do, honey, you're ever so adorable when you're flustered," she laughed as he grumbled darkly under his breath.

"Anyway," she said to Brian, "basically, I was conceived on the TARDIS, in mid-flight, in the middle of the time vortex. Exposure to the vortex is what created the Doctor's people in the first place, so the exposure I received from it at that point embedded me with Time Lord DNA."

"So… you're like him, then? Alien and… weird?" he asked. He seemed apologetic about his word choice but River took no mind.

"God, I hope not," she muttered under her breath, but they both still heard her easily. The Doctor merely scowled and crossed his arms while Brian let out a bark of laughter. "I'm still human, but yes, I'm part Time Lord as well and I take after them in most of the important ways- I have the same instincts and the brain power… and I used to be able to regenerate like he can- change my face when I'm close to death," she said when Brian looked confused at her use of the word. "Which is why I really don't look like Mum or Dad at all."

It was the first time she had referred to them as such in front of Brian and the Doctor saw an almost somber look cross his face, his eyes widening.

"This is just crazy," he said incredulously, a few moments later. "Mad. I-I- it's completely surreal!"

"Brian, I know it's a lot to take in," the Doctor said quietly. "And there's a lot more to this story. All of this is just scratching at the surface, really. Amy and Rory had their reasons for not telling anyone about River. They didn't know how you'd react and, most importantly... it was too painful for them." He stopped and sighed deeply, rubbing his face wearily and clenching his eyes shut almost painfully against the memories and emotions rising in his chest. "One moment, they're grieving the loss of their kidnapped baby girl and literally the next, there's River- this dangerous, gun-happy, beautiful, time-traveling archeologist that they'd met several times already, who they admired and looked up to, after all that time, telling them that  _she_  was baby Melody."

He stopped and looked over at River. She looked as if she were on the verge of shutting him up. He knew she wasn't comfortable with this route the conversation had taken. Talking about her past wasn't something she did easily or often. She never even properly discussed it with Amy and Rory and had only spoken with him about it on a few very rare and special occasions over the years.

On their occasional, quiet nights alone in the TARDIS, where they'd each confided in one another and discussed the things they never would have with anyone else in the universe, he'd regaled tales of Gallifrey, of his family, the Time War, all of his past companions and how he'd lost each one. In turn, she would open up and tell him about her years in the orphanage, her time growing up alongside her parents in Leadworth, and all of the training and brainwashing she had endured at the hands of the Silence during all those years. She certainly wasn't liking this- putting those details on display to someone else, even if that person was her grandfather. Maybe especially because it was him.

But he didn't stop, he just pressed on. "They missed everything, Brian, and what they didn't miss, they didn't realize what it was they were experiencing until much later because they didn't know who she was. Then they found out about her childhood- the abuse and the brainwashing-"

Apparently, he had crossed a line. She seemed to have reached her limit on what she was willing to listen to. "Doctor!" scolded harshly, her facing showing a mixture of fury and pain. "What are you doing? Stop it!"

He wasn't having any of that though. For too long, the guilt over River's past (and, indeed, her future, try as he might not to think about it) had plagued him. River's upbringing had been a primary reason for the Ponds' pain, and thus, part of the reason their families hadn't been informed of this part of their lives. Brian deserved to know the very basics of what had happened, if not any of the details.

"No, River, no. No!" he snapped back, as he bent low over his own knees and fisted his hands in his hair. "Your grandfather deserves to know about the pain you and your parents went through because of me."

Brian, who until now had simply let them speak, started to open his mouth to ask a question, concern and worry and grief etched on his face, but River beat him to the punch.

"Oh, shut up!" she exclaimed angrily, sitting upright, then leaning forward as well to better look at his face. "I have dealt with this guilt complex of yours for far too long. If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times, what happened to me was  _not_  your fault, so stop that. But you have  _no_  right to go about telling any of that to  _anyone_ ; I don't care  _who_  it is."

"Well, I'm glad he did," Brian said quickly. Both River and the Doctor looked up sharply, surprised to hear him jumping in at this point. "I know it may be hard for you to talk about, but… you're my granddaughter. I… want to know about your life, even the unpleasant parts." His eyes shone with more unshed tears as he spoke and he looked intently at River. "And I get why Amy and Rory didn't tell me anything. It is pretty unbelievably, especially if they'd told me before I met the Doctor, but… they still should have. We would have coped. We could have gotten to know you sooner, when we still had a chance of all of us being together. Now they're gone, you're all I've got left. You don't need to go into any details or anything if you don't want to, but I'd still like to… get to know you."

River's eyes softened as she looked back at him. She held eye contact with him for a few seconds before turning away to glance at the Doctor, who was sitting back into an upright position. He smiled comfortingly at her. "So, what do you say, dear? Ready to stop hiding the damage?"

She continued looking at him for a moment, thinking it over. Finally, she smiled softly and turned back to her grandfather. "Alright. I'd like it if we could get to know each other. "

Brian grinned back at her and the Doctor smiled fondly at the both of them. This really had gone rather smooth, all things considered. It certainly could have been worse.

Now, he sat back, finally closed the rest of the distance he'd put between he and River when they'd both sat down earlier, draped his arm across her shoulders, and leaned back against the couch contentedly. River smiled back at him and leaned into his arm, making herself comfortable. Brian watched them, happily as he also sat back, relaxing in his chair.

"So, he said you're an archeologist, yeah? Do you carry a trowel? I always told Rory to carry a trowel. Damn useful, they are." He asked her, restarting the conversation off lightly.

She laughed. "Of course. There are two in my bag on the TARDIS. Basic tool for an archeologist."

That seemed to kick-start things pretty well. He asked her what kind of digs she went on and she answered. They went back and forth asking and answering each other's' questions, getting more comfortable as time ticked by. The Doctor watched them happily, watching grandfather and granddaughter bond and get to know one another. Smiling, he hugged his wife closer to his side and answered the occasional question steered his way or correct some archeological fact River spoke of while she rolled her eyes back at him.

He watched River's eyes light up as she spoke and decided things really had worked out for the best today. He continued to sit and listen comfortably and contentedly as the conversation continued on, happy that several issues and conversations had been taken care of so well today.


	5. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, sorry for the wait on this. The first few weeks, I just suffered from major writer's block and couldn't find the right words to end this with - I scrapped it several times. Then someone extremely close to me died suddenly a few weeks ago and that majorly threw me off my game. But I've finally found the will and motivation to finish this. Thanks to everyone who commented and gave kudos - it helped a lot in the motivation department. So here's the last bit. Hope you all enjoy!

“Now, you’re sure you can’t stay any longer?”

“No I think it’s definitely about time we got on our way. Students to get back to, you know,” River answered her grandfather.

It was now late evening and the three of them had spent the whole day talking and exchanging stories. The Doctor and River had finished explaining the important details of River’s life (explaining per past regeneration as Mels Zucker had certainly thrown the man for a loop) and he recounted stories of Roy and Amy’s (and, as it turned out, River’s) childhood days for them to hear in return. There was laughter and tears in excess at several points throughout the day, but now it was getting late and goodbyes would have to be said at some point.

They now all stood awkwardly in front of the TARDIS. The Doctor was shifting nervously from one foot to another.

“Right, yes, of course,” Brian said quickly. “Wouldn’t want to deprive those students of their brilliant professor, now would we?”

River laughed. “Definitely not, although I’m sure they would love an extension on the papers they have due.”

“Can’t let them start to get lazy, after all,” Brian said softly with a smile and a gleam of pride in his eyes. “It was... nice getting to meat you, River. I wish it was under better circumstances but...” he shrugged half-heartedly.

“Yes, I know what you mean,” River answered. “It was nice getting to meet you too- again that is, not just as Mels, the girl who got your son into trouble every other week.”

“You were a bit of a handful back them, I admit,” he chuckled for a moment before sobering. Then, he quietly asked, “Will I - er - will I see you again?”

River didn’t answer right away. Instead, she just looked at him for a few moments and then looked at the Doctor and he knew she was thinking back to the conversation they’d had in bed that morning about just this topic. Another moment and she’d made up her mind. “Yes, yes of course you will. I’ll stop in and visit from time to time.” 

The transformation on Brian’s face was extraordinary. He went from looking resigned about their impending departure to looking like Christmas had come early, his face lit up in excitement and a broad grin spreading across his face. “Really?” he asked hopefully, as if not quite believing what he’d heard. 

“Yes, really,” River laughed, sharing a grin with the Doctor as he beamed back at her and her grandfather. “We’ve only just properly met. I can’t just come barging in and then disappear off into space forever, now can I?”

“Certainly not!” The Doctor jumped in enthusiastically, slinging his arms over the shoulders of both River and Brian. “I wouldn’t hear of it! We will absolutely be around to visit, Brian, you can count on that!” 

“‘We’?” River said imploringly. looking up at him with a question on her face and a raised eyebrow as Brian sagged under the weight of the Doctor’s arm.

“Well, of course! What? Am I supposed to pass up the opportunity to hear Brian here regale me with stories of your troubled youth alongside your parents? I think not!” He laughed, then lowered his tone to a more serious one. “that is, as long as you want me to come along, dear.”

“Oh, you adorable idiot,” she breathed before she reached up and pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth, silently letting him know there was more to come later.

Blushing slightly, the Doctor released River and Brian and stepped aside to let them finish their goodbyes. A smiling River turned to Brian and said, “So yes, _we’ll_ visit. Although I promise to leave him behind on occasion - less chance of a catastrophe of some sort occurring,” she said with a laugh as the Doctor pretended to pout beside her.

“Sounds like a plan, my dear,” Brian answered thickly. He then leaned in and pulled her into a warm embrace. Stunned only for a moment, River soon hugged him back. “Now you look after yourself, all right?” he told her gently. “And try to make sure he stays out of too much trouble over there, yeah?”

She laughed, only a bit shakily. “Oh, you underestimate the amount of trouble I drag _him_ into,” she laughed as they pulled apart.

“Guess that’s fitting enough,” he said, looking between the two of them speculatively. “Sounds like a match made in heaven or something.”

“Or something, all right,” River chuckled, looking over at her husband fondly.

Turning his attention away from River now, he looked over at the Doctor. “Doctor,” he said seriously.

“Brian,” the Doctor replied and not knowing what else to say or do, saluted the other man awkwardly.

Brian held out a hand. “You look after my granddaughter out there. She’s all I’ve got left now.”

Shaking the other man’s hand solemnly, he said, “I know exactly how you feel, Brian. Don’t know what I’d do without her.” His eyes bettrayed only a hint of sadness behind them.

And with that, they all said their final farewells one last time, River promising that they would be in touch, and she and the Doctor stepped from Amy and Rory’s house and back into the TARDIS.

Bounding up ahead, the Doctor reached the console and set about sending the ship into the vortex before River could take over and do it _her_ way, which wasn’t right at all. However, she had made no move to try and beat him and was instead leaning up against the railing, arms wrapped around herself as she watched him work with a smile on her lips. Finishing up, he turned to her and grinned. “Enjoying the view, dear?”

“Oh, always, Sweetie,” she laughed fondly as h walked towards her and pulled her into his arms, wrapping them securely around her waist. She brought her hands up to rest on his chest and looked up at him.

“You did wonderfully today,” she said, running her fingers repeatedly over his hearts. “I know it wasn’t easy for you, but you did a great job at helping him... helping me... not running off when things got difficult or quiet. I was pleasantly surprised.”

“We could have stayed longer, you know. You of all people know that with the wonders of time travel, you could have stayed as long as you liked and still gotten back to your students with plenty of time before your next class,” he told her gently, splaying his fingers around her waist, pulling her closer to his chest. He didn’t want to mention that he was hoping she would stay with him longer as well. But if she wanted to get back to work and the university -

“I know, I just didn’t know how much longer I could stand being there at once, so soon after.” he said to his chest, her breath against it making him shiver. “It was getting to be a bit too much. We’ll go back. I want to be there, to get to know him better and spend more time with him, but only so much all at once yeah?”

“Yeah, understood. It is rather difficult being there without them, knowing they aren’t coming back to it.” He shook his head softly, trying to disburse the dark thoughts from his head.

“I know you said you’d come along and visit, Sweetie, but you really don’t have to, if it’s that difficult for you. I’d understand,” she said gently.

Smiling down at her, he sighed, then leaned down, resting his cheek on the top of her head. “Don’t you know by now, River? There’s nothing in this universe I wouldn’t do for you. Anything at all to make you safe or happy. And if that means having to stick around for a day of tea and conversation with you and Brian every now and again, then I say that’s more than worth it.”

He could feel her smile stretch across her face through the fabric of his shirt. “You’re turning into such a hopeless romantic in your old age, Sweetie.” 

“Only for you, River” After a moment of silence, just the two of them standing their in each others’ arms, he voiced his question from a few moments ago. “Since you’re not actually in such a hurry to get back to work, maybe you’d consider sticking around for a while? Keep the old husband company for a while? Make sure i don’t go landing the Old Girl here in a black hole or something”

“Well, when you put it like that, I can’t exactly say no can I?” she said with a laugh. “We both know I can’t stay forever but I can’t just leave you on your own yet. Of course, I’ll stay a while.”

Grinning more broadly than he thought e ever would again, he lifted his hands from her waist, cupped them around her face and pulled her in for a kiss. It was slow and gentle, as he softly moved his lips across hers and tasted her on his tongue, stroking his fingers gingerly across her cheeks. She reached up and slipped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her, kissing him back enthusiastically. 

As they slipped from the console room in search of their bedroom, the Doctor reflected on the last couple of days. Amy and Rory were gone, and that just tore at his heart. They had been with him so very long, and had become so much more than companions to his - they had been his family, and only partially because of their connection to River. But at least he still had her and he was determined to hold onto her for as long as he possibly could.

And as he pulled her through the doorway of their room and she pushed him down onto the bed with a devious grin, he reminded himself he still had plenty to be grateful for. 


End file.
